[PATCH v1] perf cgroup: Update metric leader in evlist__expand_cgroup

From: Ian Rogers

Date: Thu Apr 02 2026 - 18:00:27 EST


When the evlist is expanded the metric leader wasn't being updated. As
the original evsel is deleted this creates a use-after-free in
stat-shadow's prepare_metric. This was detected running the "perf stat
--bpf-counters --for-each-cgroup test" with sanitizers.

The change itself puts the copied evsel into the priv field (known
unused because of evsel__clone use) and then in a second pass over the
list updates the copied values using the priv pointer.

Fixes: d1c5a0e86a4e ("perf stat: Add --for-each-cgroup option")
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
tools/perf/util/cgroup.c | 34 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------
1 file changed, 27 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
index 040eb75f0804..1e0fef283826 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
@@ -417,7 +417,6 @@ static bool has_pattern_string(const char *str)
int evlist__expand_cgroup(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, bool open_cgroup)
{
struct evlist *orig_list, *tmp_list;
- struct evsel *pos, *evsel, *leader;
struct rblist orig_metric_events;
struct cgroup *cgrp = NULL;
struct cgroup_name *cn;
@@ -452,6 +451,7 @@ int evlist__expand_cgroup(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, bool open_cgro
goto out_err;

list_for_each_entry(cn, &cgroup_list, list) {
+ struct evsel *pos;
char *name;

if (!cn->used)
@@ -467,21 +467,41 @@ int evlist__expand_cgroup(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, bool open_cgro
if (cgrp == NULL)
continue;

- leader = NULL;
+ /* copy the list and set to the new cgroup. */
evlist__for_each_entry(orig_list, pos) {
- evsel = evsel__clone(/*dest=*/NULL, pos);
+ struct evsel *evsel = evsel__clone(/*dest=*/NULL, pos);
+
if (evsel == NULL)
goto out_err;

+ /* stash the copy during the copying. */
+ pos->priv = &evsel->core;
cgroup__put(evsel->cgrp);
evsel->cgrp = cgroup__get(cgrp);

- if (evsel__is_group_leader(pos))
- leader = evsel;
- evsel__set_leader(evsel, leader);
-
evlist__add(tmp_list, evsel);
}
+ /* update leader information using stashed pointer to copy. */
+ evlist__for_each_entry(orig_list, pos) {
+ struct evsel *evsel = pos->priv;
+
+ if (evsel__leader(pos))
+ evsel->core.leader = evsel__leader(pos)->priv;
+
+ if (pos->metric_leader) {
+ evsel->metric_leader =
+ container_of(pos->metric_leader->priv, struct evsel, core);
+ }
+ if (pos->first_wildcard_match) {
+ evsel->first_wildcard_match =
+ container_of(pos->first_wildcard_match->priv,
+ struct evsel, core);
+ }
+ }
+ /* the stashed copy is no longer used. */
+ evlist__for_each_entry(orig_list, pos)
+ pos->priv = NULL;
+
/* cgroup__new() has a refcount, release it here */
cgroup__put(cgrp);
nr_cgroups++;
--
2.53.0.1213.gd9a14994de-goog